Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Beecher Island

On June 23, the "Advance" passed the Dundas Headland at the northwest end of the Prince of Wales' territory.There the difficulties were increased by the number of icebergs.The sea is reduced here, and a series of islands such as Crozier, Young, Sun, Lowther, and Calais, like fortresses in front of the anchorage, force the ice packs to gather in the channel. .The voyage which the ship would otherwise have made but a day, took some days, from June 25th to 30th; The fire is kept low when at anchor, but never turned off, so that it can be started at any hour of the day or night. Hatteras, like Sandon, was well aware of the state of his stores; but he was sure of finding fuel at Beecher's Island, and he was not willing to waste a minute in economy, for he was already delayed by turning south, though He had cautiously left England since April, no earlier than his contemporaries had arrived.

On the 30th, at the north-eastern end of the Prince of Wales Dominion, Rambler's Head was passed; it was a headland seen by Kennedy and Bellow after passing all of Sommerst in 1852.Back in 1851, Captain Ormany had the honor of being there to resupply his regiment on the occasion of the Austin Expedition. This headland is very high, and its reddish-brown color is striking; in clear weather the entrance to the Strait of Wellington can be seen from there.In the evening, Mike-Leon Bay was seen separating Cape Bello from Cape Rambler.Cape Bello was obtained by a young French officer who participated in the British voyage and received numerous applause.In that place, the coast is composed of yellowish limestone, with an uneven surface; it is guarded by icebergs that are blown violently by the north wind. The Advancing soon lost track of it, and cut its way to Beecher Island through less solid ice floes, across Barrow Strait.

Hatteras resolved to proceed in a straight line, so as not to be dragged off the island, and he never left his post in the days that followed; Good fairway.The tact, coolness, bravery and brilliance of a sailor are all displayed in this crossing of the Channel.In fact he was out of luck, since, at that time, he should have found almost unimpeded sea.But in the end, with neither his engine nor his crew nor himself, he reached his destination. At 11 o'clock in the morning, July 3, the ice navigator signaled to find a land in the north; Hatteras made observations, and recognized Beecher's Island, the usual meeting place of Arctic voyagers.Almost all ships sailing in these seas pass here.It was here that Franklin first overwintered before diving deep into the Wellington Strait.It was here that Mike Krull's Lieutenant Cresswell joined the "Felix" after traveling 470 nautical miles on the iceberg and returned to England. The last ship at Beecher Island before the Advance was the Fox; Mike Clintock restocked here on August 11, 1855, and built a house and shop here; to two years; Hatteras knew the details.

The bosun's heart beat fast at the sight of this island; he was a corporal on the "Felix" when he came to this island; Hatteras asked him about the structure of the coast, the feasibility of anchoring, Possibility of landfall; the weather was very good with a temperature of 14°C. "Well, Johnson," returned the captain, "do you recognize it?" "Yes, Captain, this is Beecher's Island! Only, we're going a little further north; the coast is easier to land there." "But what about those houses, those stores?" Hatteras said. "Oh! You can't see them until you land; they're hidden behind these hills you see."

"Have you shipped a lot of supplies here?" "Lots of supplies, Captain. The Admiralty sent us here in 1853 under Captain Eaglefield in the 'Felix' and a cargo ship, the Bridal Barney; we brought supplies sufficient for a voyage." "But the captain of the 'Fox' used them extensively in 1855," Hatteras said. "Don't worry, Captain," retorted Johnson, "there's still some for you, which will preserve well in the cold weather, and we'll find everything fresh and in good condition." "It's not groceries that I'm worried about," Hatteras answered. "I've got something to eat for years! It's coal I want."

"Okay, Captain, we've left a thousand tons behind; so you can rest easy." "Let's come closer," said Hatteras again, spyglass in hand, and he kept watching the coast. "Look at that promontory," Johnson continued, "after we rounded it, we were very close to our anchorage. Yes, we set out from this place with Lieutenant Cresswell and the 'Prospector'. Twelve patients from the ship went to England. But if only we had the good fortune to bring back Lieutenant Bello, Captain Mike Krull's Lieutenant Officer, who sailed with us on the Felix, never to be seen again Not to his country! Ah! What a sad remembrance. Captain, I think we shall drop anchor here."

"Okay," Hatteras replied. Then he gave the order. The "Forward" was moored in a small bay that was naturally sheltered from the north, east, and south winds and a few chains away from the coast. "Mr. Wall," said Hatteras, "you have the boats ready, and you send six men in the boats to bring the coal on board." "Yes, Captain," Wall replied. "I am going to land in a canoe with the doctor and the boatswain, Mr. Sandon, will you accompany us?" "At your command," Sandon replied. Soon the doctor was in a canoe with his hunter and scientist's gear, and ten minutes later they landed on a low-lying, rocky coast.

"That's the place, Captain; only here's a monument I didn't expect to come across here!" "Here!" cried the Doctor, "I know what it is; let us come nearer, and the stone itself will tell us what it is doing here." The four walked forward, and the doctor took off his hat and said: "This, my friends, is a monument erected in memory of Captain Franklin and his entourage." Eventually, Mrs. Franklin gave a black marble to Dr. Kane in 1855 and another to Mike Clintock in 1858 for shipment to Beecher Island.This was done piously by Mike Clintock, who placed the marble not far from a tombstone which Sir John Barrow had painstakingly erected in Bellow's memory.

The following inscription is carved on the marble: commemorate Franklin, Crozier, Fitz-James and all their brave brethren Officers and loyal followers for the cause of science and Honor of the Fatherland Suffering and Sacrifice This stone was erected at a distance from their first winter in the North Pole and they set out to overcome danger or to die not far away. Used to evoke memories of fellow countrymen and friends who adored them arouse sincere concern for them Evoking memories of those who lost their most faithful and closest companions in the expedition So the Lord brought them to the supreme port where all rest

1855 This stele, left on the remote shore of this remote land, touched the heart sorely; and the doctor felt tears well up in his eyes at the lamentable regret.Where Franklin and his entourage passed, there was strength and hope, and now only stones remain!Still, despite the sombre reminders of fate, the "Forward" was about to go the way of the "Edupes" and the "Terror". Hatteras was the first to wake up from this dangerous mourning, and soon climbed a small hill of considerable height, which was scarcely snowed. "Captain," Johnson said, walking with him, "we can see the store from here."

Shandon and the doctor followed them as they reached the top. But, looking from there, all they could see was a wide plain, without any sign of houses. "That's strange," said the bosun. "Okay! Where's the store?" Hatteras asked excitedly. "I don't know...I can't see..." Johnson stammered. "You may be going the wrong way," said the doctor. "But it seems to me," Johnson added, after a moment's thought, "that this is the place." "Anyway," said Hatteras impatiently, "where are we going?" "Go down," said the bosun, "for I may be mistaken; seven years have passed, and I may have forgotten these places." "Especially," replied the doctor, "there is a uniformity in this district." "But..." Johnson whispered. Sandon declined to comment. After walking for a few minutes, Johnson stopped. "No," he cried, "no, I'm not mistaken!" "What?" Hatteras said, looking around. "How do you know, Johnson?" asked the doctor. "Do you see the bump in the ground?" said the bosun, pointing to the mound of earth at his feet, from which three sharp peaks could be distinctly distinguished. "What does that mean?" asked the doctor. "Right here," answered Johnson, "is the grave of the three sailors of Franklin! I'm sure, I'm not mistaken, there are houses a hundred feet from us, and if they're gone... it's because... " He dared not think further; Hatteras trotted ahead, and a strong sense of desperation came over him.There should have stood the long-awaited store with all the supplies he needed; but destruction, plunder, subversion, and destruction have destroyed the vast resources created by the hands of human civilization for the voyager in a state of scarcity. do.Who did the sabotage?Animals in these areas, wolves, foxes, bears?No, they will only destroy daily necessities, but there is not even a strip of cloth, a piece of wood, a piece of iron, or any metal left on the tent. For the people on the "Forward", the most terrifying thing is , not even a little fuel left! Evidently the Eskimos, who were in frequent association with European ships, at last understood the value of these things, and they would not have; and since the passage of the Fox, they have been plundering and pillaging this resource-rich region to and fro, and they It was determined not to leave any trace of the past in the area; now, the ground is covered in long blankets of snow. Hatteras passed out.The doctor shook his head while observing his expression.Shandon has been silent, but if you look carefully, you will find a vicious smile on the corner of his mouth. At this time, the people sent by Lieutenant Wall arrived.They understand everything.Shandon went up to the captain and said: "I don't see any use in despair, Mr. Hatteras; we are fortunately at the mouth of Barrow Strait, so we can get back to Baffin Sea!" "Mr. Sandon," replied Hatteras, "we are fortunately at the entrance of the Whineton Strait, so we can sail north!" "How shall we sail, Captain?" "Sail, sir! We've got two months' worth of fuel, and we won't run out until our next winter." "Listen to me, please," Sandon went on... "I allow you to stay with me on board, sir," Hatteras answered. With his back turned to his adversary, he returned to the ship, and shut himself up in the cabin. For two days the wind was headwind; the captain was no longer on deck.The doctor took advantage of this forced suspension of voyages to go around Beecher's Island; he collected a few plants, which, because of the relatively warm temperature, grew here and there, a few heaths on snowless rocks, drab lichens, A yellow buttercup, a sorrel-like plant with large leaves with several strands, and a rather robust saxifrage. The animals of this region are superior to the flora so rare in this region; the doctor saw long flocks of geese and cranes flying north; partridges, eider ducks with dark blue plumage, redshanks, northern loons, Long-bodied loons, delicious grouse or something, small pigeons with black bodies and white-spattered wings, with coral-red talons and beaks, noisy flocks of sea-birds with white bellies The plump loons indicate the species of these birds.The Doctor was delighted to shoot a few gray rabbits, which had not yet put on their winter whites, and a blue fox which Duck caught with amazing skill.The bears, evidently accustomed to express anxiety at the presence of men, kept no one near them, and the seals fled quickly, for the same reasons as their enemies, the bears.There is a good-tasting snail in the bay.Arthropods, insects with two wings, and forest-dwelling animals are represented only by a mosquito, which the doctor happily caught after a few bites.As a conchologist, he had less luck, collecting only one type of mussel and a few bivalve molluscs.